'Stuff of nightmares': Prosecutor reveals chilling details of attacks on Minnesota lawmakers

The antheral suspected of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and wounding different and his woman had “stalked his victims similar prey” earlier opening occurrence astatine their homes, elaborately disguised arsenic a instrumentality enforcement officer, prosecutors said Monday.

Vance Boelter, 57, was allegedly wearing a “hyper realistic” silicone look mask, a tactical vest and assemblage armor erstwhile helium arrived astatine the Champlin location of authorities Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, aboriginal Saturday, according to Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. lawyer for the District of Minnesota.

Footage shows a antheral matching the statement of shooting fishy Vance Luther Boelter attempting to summation entree to 1 of the victims' homes. FBI

Wielding a flashlight and a handgun, Boelter allegedly knocked connected the Hoffmans’ doorway astir 2 a.m. and shouted, “This is the police! Open the door!”

His achromatic SUV had exigency lights and a licence sheet that work “police,” Thompson said.

The mates answered the doorway together, the authoritative said astatine a quality conference. He said Boelter shined his flashlight successful their faces, said determination had been a shooting reported successful the location and asked them if they had weapons.

When Boelter lowered his flashlight, the mates shouted that helium was not a constabulary officer. Prosecutors said Boelter past announced “this is simply a robbery” and tried to unit himself into their home.

Hoffman tried to propulsion Boelter retired of his home, but the fishy changeable him and his woman repeatedly earlier fleeing to his adjacent target's home, Thompson said.

State Sen. John Hoffman astatine a proceeding successful 2024, successful Saint Paul, Minn. Glen Stubbe / Minnesota Star Tribune via Reuters

The Hoffmans’ girl called 911. The mates were severely injured and remained hospitalized.

Meanwhile, Boelter continued connected his alleged rampage, which helium appeared to person plotted for “quite immoderate time,” though it’s inactive unclear why, officials said.

Authorities said determination were much than 45 names of authorities and national elected officials successful aggregate notebooks recovered successful the suspect’s SUV and home.

“Boelter planned his onslaught carefully,” Thompson said. “He researched his victims and their families. He utilized the net and different tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the household members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes of the determination of their homes.”

After allegedly shooting the Hoffmans, Boelter went to the homes of astatine slightest 3 different Minnesota authorities politicians with the intent to termination them, Thompson said. The adjacent 2 were not home, and prosecutors declined to place them Monday.

But Democratic authorities Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were astatine their Brooklyn Park location erstwhile Boelter arrived astir 3:30 a.m., authorities said.

A photograph of authorities Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, astatine the Minnesota authorities Capitol connected Sunday.Selina Guevara / NBC News

By that time, 2 section constabulary officers were dispatched to behaviour wellness checks connected the homes of section officials, including the Hortmans. The officers arrived astatine the Hortmans’ location conscionable arsenic Boelter was lasting successful beforehand of it, officials said.

Boelter rushed into their location done the beforehand doorway and repeatedly opened fire, sidesplitting the couple, Thompson said. The fishy fled retired the backmost door, dropping his disguise and assemblage armor connected the way, Thompson said.

He called the alleged crimes “the worldly of nightmares.”

After the attacks, Boelter allegedly texted his family: “Dad went to warfare past night… I don’t wanna implicate anybody,” according to an affidavit.

In a connection to his wife, Boelter apologized and appeared to pass her astir an incoming constabulary presence, the affidavit said. “Words are not gonna explicate however atrocious I americium for the situation,” the substance read. “There’s gonna beryllium immoderate radical coming to the location equipped and trigger-happy and I don’t privation you guys around.”

Police searched his wife’s car and recovered 2 guns, $10,000 successful currency and passports for her 2 children, who were successful the car astatine the clip of the search, according to tribunal records.

After a two-day manhunt, which was the state's biggest, the fishy was recovered crawling successful a tract Sunday night, authorities said.

FBI agents expanse a vicinity successful Brooklyn Park connected Saturday.Alex Kormann / Star Tribune via AP

He cooperated with instrumentality enforcement officers and “gave up peacefully,” authorities said.

Boelter faces aggregate national charges, including 2 counts of stalking and 2 counts of murder.

The execution charges are punishable by beingness successful situation oregon death, officials said. Thompson said it’s excessively soon to find whether prosecutors volition prosecute the decease penalty.

At his national tribunal proceeding Monday afternoon, Boelter said helium understood what helium is being charged with.

Boelter told a justice helium makes $540 a week done his part-time occupation and could not spend a lawyer.

A justice said helium would name a national defender and scheduled the adjacent proceeding for June 27.